


Army

by wildroses



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, a little bit fluff, angst with happy ending, idk how to tag, post 2x05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 18:19:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildroses/pseuds/wildroses
Summary: Basically fix-it fanfic. Post 2x05. Betty and Jughead talk about their fucked up situation. The abomination that is Jug/Toni kiss never happened in my universe.





	Army

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank @mothermaple, and Jandy @jandjsalmon for being my beta readers. I love you guys. Without them, this fanfic will end up in the garbage can. So, thank you my queens. Also, this is my first fanfiction, your input and comments are really appreciated <3

Betty leans against the window as her body calms down after hours of crying her heart out. Her eyes feels sore, her face feels stiff with the marks of her drying tears. She’s exhausted. She’s lost her best friend and the love of her life within the last 48 hours. _What did I do to deserve this?_ Betty whispers to herself.

 

She’s staring at the moon. The crescent shape in the night sky matches the ones on her palms. She can smell the metallic odour from her hands The wounds are fresh, and suddenly the memory of that fateful night at Pop’s after the disaster that was Jughead’s birthday party, where he kissed her scars and somehow healed her soul, flashes to the front of her mind and, despite her best efforts, she can’t shut it out. Since that night, Betty had been able to stop herself from digging her nails into her palms and piercing the skin. But now she’s lost her control. Black Hood has taken over her, physically and emotionally. And she’s drowning. She needs to feel that she is still in her own body. With that thought, she allows her nails to pierce her skin and draw fresh blood again, and begins to drift off to sleep.

          

_Tap Tap_

She faintly hears the sound of knocking on her window.

 

           _Tap!_

 

She suddenly jolts up and opens her eyes to see Jughead outside her bedroom window, balancing on Fred Andrew’s ladder.

 

“Please let me in, Betts.” he whispers loudly.

 

Betty is hesitant at first. _What is he doing here? He can’t be here! What if the Black Hood sees him?!_ But she misses him so much. When she focuses on his face her heart drops to her stomach. Her favorite face, that beautiful face now has bruises and cuts everywhere. She doesn’t think twice once she sees his injuries. She slides her window up and the cold air stings her warm skin.

          

“Hey there, Juliet.” Jughead smiles sadly and jumps in to Betty’s room. Betty is now standing up, looking everywhere but at him. She can’t bear to look at him. She’s afraid she won’t be able to stop herself from touching him if she does. His heart breaks into pieces again when he sees her condition. Her hair disheveled, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, her face swollen from crying. Dark circles under her eyes show that she hasn’t been sleeping or at least sleeping well. Then his eyes travel down to her hands. Her fists are closed tightly with the fingers bent against the palm. _Oh, Betty._

          

For a moment, two broken souls stand in front of each other in silence. Both of them are damaged from the situation they are in. No one is happy, and it frustrates Jughead.

          

“Jug, you shouldn’t be here,” Betty breaks the silence first, her voice hoarse.

          

‘I won’t go until you tell me the truth. What’s going on, Betty?” He takes one step toward her. She withdraws a step from him.

          

“I can’t Jughead. Please just accept it. We’re…we’re over.” She holds her head down, willing herself not to cry in front of him.

          

“Betts, please stop.” Jughead reaches for her hands, untangling her fingers from making fists. Betty gasped. The moment his skin touches hers, something bursts inside her body. No. It’s inside her heart. She realizes how much power Jughead has over her. For the first time in 48 hours, her body finally relaxes. The moment he holds her hands, she dissolves in tears.

          

Jughead holds her as she continues to cry in muffled sobs against his chest.

          

“I’m sorry Juggie… I’m sorry… I don’t want to lose you,”

          

Jughead kisses her hair. Even when disheveled, her hair still smells like heaven, like strawberry and mint. It smells like Betty. His Betty.

          

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here… You can talk to me. Please,” Jughead wonders how they ended up like this? When did they fail at communication? What made them stop being honest with each other?

          

Betty pulls away from his chest. “Jug, what happened to you?” She touches his bruised eyes and he flinches.

          

“It’s nothing,” he murmurs. Betty gazes into his eyes, pleading, _if you want me to be honest with you, it goes both ways._ Jughead sighs and suddenly he feels defensive.

          

“I joined the Serpents. This–“ he points his index finger to his face, “is from the initiation. But I thought you already knew. Didn’t Archie tell you after you sent him to break up with me?” There’s a hint of malice in his tone.

          

Betty shakes her head and looks down at her feet, “I’m sorry, Juggie… What Archie told you was a lie. He called me, Jug… He asked me to publish Mom’s mug shot, to cut Veronica out of my life or he’d kill Polly, and to break up with you or he’d kill you, Jug. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want you to be hurt, Juggie,” She starts to cry again.

          

Jughead just stands there, silent, confused at what she’d said. It’s a lot to take in. “Who called you? Archie?”

          

Betty lets out a dry, sad chuckle, “No Jug. The Black Hood has been calling me since that night at the Town Hall.” She sits on the edge of her bed, resting her elbows on her thighs, and rubs her face with her hands. She really is tired.

          

Jughead steps closer to her, breathing frantically, “Wha…. What the fuck?! Black Hood called you?! And threatened you? Betty! Why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you tell **me**?!” Jughead is saying angrily at her now, he doesn’t know what’s come over him. He’s angry at the Black Hood, at Betty, but more at himself. How could he not see it? He’s so busy with Serpent business, he forgot to check up on his own girlfriend.

          

“I told Arch–”

          

“So you told your old crush but not your boyfriend?!” Jughead himself can’t believe what he just said. The words just vomited out of his mouth without being filtered by his brain.

          

Betty’s head shoots up and she glares at Jughead. “That is not what this situation is about Jughead!” she spits back at him.

          

“The Black Hood told me to not tell anyone _specifically_ you! But he didn’t mention Archie! That’s why I only told him! I can’t have you hurt… I can’t bear losing you forever Juggie…”

      

Jughead calms down and lets out a long sigh. _This is fucked up. This whole situation is fucked up_ , he says to himself. He finally understands Betty’s position, though. He sits next to her and embraces her. “I won't let anyone hurt me, and I will do anything to protect you, Betty Cooper.”

          

“Jug, he’s been watching me like a hawk. If he knows we’re back together, well I mean… if that’s…. what we…. are again?” Betty stutters

          

“Well, do you still love me?” Jughead stares deep into her green doe eyes.

          

Betty caresses his cheek, “I’ve never stopped.”

          

And finally, his lips crash into hers. Their kiss is saying the words they can’t speak out loud, and only they can hear it.  _I love you. Don’t leave me again. You’re safe with me. I’ll never let you go._

          

Jughead flinches when Betty touches his shoulder and they break apart.

          

“So, my boyfriend is officially a Serpent, huh?” Betty smiles at him while caressing his shoulder through his leather jacket.

          

“Yeah…bout that… Listen Betts, I’ll quit the Serpents okay? I want to focus on keeping you safe from now on.”

          

Betty shakes her head, “No Jug, don’t. If you’re out there protecting me, then who’s going to protect you? Besides, ‘whatever you need to do or explore, I support you’ remember?”

          

Jughead chuckles He still can’t believe he has the kindest and most selfless person in the world as his girlfriend. “Betty, you do realize I just survived going through the gauntlet right? I think I can manage facing the Black Hood.”

          

“The Black Hood has a gun, Jug. Weren’t you the one who told me that you joining the Serpents was for protection? And how ‘Serpents protect each other’ or something? Jug, the Serpents can be like…an army to face Black Hood,” An idea popped into Betty’s brain. Just like always- somehow, she can think clearly when Jughead is with her.

          

“Jug! I have a plan!” Betty says brightly.

          

“Whoa, hold it right there, babe. First of all, an army?” Jughead snickers while he takes off his shoes and jacket. “Betty, are you trying to start a war with a psychopathic murderer? Second of all, whatever plan you have, we can talk about that in the morning, okay? You need to sleep. You are drained, Betts.” He pulls Betty to lie down with him on the bed. Betty objects: once she’s in his arms, she feels her eyes getting heavy.

 

“Also, I think we deserve a cuddle for what we’ve gone through these past few days,” Jughead smirks. They’re spooning now, the soreness in his body disappearing once he’s laying down and holding Betty from behind. Betty Cooper is his own salvation.

 

“And Betts,” Jughead whispers in her ear.

 

“Hmm?” Betty answers, already half asleep.

 

“I want you to know that with or without the Serpents – as long as I’m with you, I’m standing with an army.”

 

Betty smiles, and they soon fall asleep, holding onto a strand of hope that they both will be alright. As for now, let the morning light come and let them be safe and sound.

**The end.**


End file.
